City Councilman Wendell Young said he was personally assured by Mayor Mark Mallory that the city would appeal the ruling, which gives the Greenacres Foundation permission to demolish the dilapidated home on Werk Road.

The foundation plans to turn the site into a park. The foundation says the house would be too expensive to rehabilitate.

Curp has recommended against an appeal, saying it is unlikely to succeed.

Preservationists in Westwood say conditions at the home have deteriorated over time, but that it can still be saved and is worth preserving. The National Trust for Historic Preservation called the Gamble House "an irreplaceable national treasure."